Demountable article of furniture with multiple combinations



Patented Get. 10, 1922.

ERNEST GEORGES LECONTE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

I DEMOUNTABLE ARTICLE FURNITURE WITH MULTIPLE COMBINATIONS.

Application filed March 20, 1920. Serial No. 367,506.

which can be readily assembled and de-- mounted and which allows of making numerous transformations. I

These members or elements of the device consist on the one hand of fiat shaped pieces such as shelves, small flat board members, glass 'or metal plates, etc, and on the other hand of elements having the form of small uprights or columns of suit-able description whose object is to maintain the said shelves or flat members at stated intervals, the said uprights being provided with screws and nuts attached to their opposite ends for the purpose of assembling these uprights end to end, at the same time holding between these respective ends the said shelves, plates, etc., which are suitably disposed to make up an article of furniture such as set of shelves, ofiice rack or pigeonholes, music holder, box holder, book case, side table, counter, table, bench, set of steps, etc.

The interval between the several shelves can be varied either by employing uprights or columns of different lengths, or by superposlng a variable number of columns of the same kind. I p

The operations of mounting and demounting consist simply in inserting the ends of the uprights in suitable holes in the shelves (or in removing the same) and in screwing the uprights or columns to each other, and this can be easily and rapidly performed by an unskilled person.

The accompanying drawings show by way of example three constructional forms of an article of furniture constituted according to the invention.

1 and 2 are views in elevation of a music rack or case.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views in elevation of a set of shelves.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a portion of the music case, on a larger scale.

Figs. 6 and 7 show the details of a screw and a nut.

Fig. 8 shows partly in elevation and partly in section, a portion of a set of shelves constructed according to a third method.

The piece of furniture represented in Figs. 1 and 2 is made up of a. series of shelves a a", a a*, a and the uprights or columns 6,- between the shelves a and a are also disposed the vertical partitions c; the terminal members 6 b of any suitable shape, are

mounted at the ends of the upright members formed by the several columns I).

Into the ends of each column b are solidly inserted on the one hand a metal screw 01 and on the other a corresponding nut e. The terminal members 6 b are provided respectively with a screw and a nut, in order to be able to assemble these parts with the adjacent columns.

The partitions on can be held in position by inserting their ends into mortises in the shelves at an as represented in Fig. 5.

The drawing clearly indicates the method employed to transform the above mentioned music rack or holder into a set of shelves suchas is represented in Figs. 3 and 4. Here thepartitions care suppressed, and the shelves are disposed with a. shorter spacing than before, by reason of the suppression of four columns out of the eight which were previously used to connect the shelves. Moreover, the shelf a is now turned bottom side up, in order that the mortises out in one side shall not be noticeable.

It is of course understood that the present method allows of varying not only the number of shelves and columns, but also the sizes and shapes of the members according to the articles of furniture to be constituted.

In Figs. 6 and 7 are shown by way of example the details of a screw d and a nut e. These two members not only contain the threaded parts d e employed for screwing one into the other, but also the threaded portions (1 e which are screwed into the columns in order to provide. a very solid assemblage of these parts. The outer edge of the nut is provided with the slots e to allow the nut to be more readily screwed up by means of a screw driver or suitable wrench. A relatively great length is given to the nut and the portion of the screw engaged therein, in order to provide the required solidity and rigid construction of the whole.

In case the columns are made of metal, the screw 03 or the nut e, or both of them, can be made in a single piece with the column proper. Again, should the metal columns have a relatively small diameter, it may be preferable to attach to their ends, by solde1= ing or otherwise, suitable washers or shoulders, which shall afford bearing surfaces for receiving the shelves.

Each of the shelves a can be made in a single piece or'in several pieces assembled end to end, and this will allow of modifying the length of the set of shelves as may be desired, by changing the number of these pieces. In the constructional form represented in Fig. 8, the adjacent ends of the shelf portions a a are cut in, for the purpose of assembling these pieces at half theirthicknes's, and both parts are traversed by the assembling screws d of the columns 6; in this manner no additional element is required in order to connect together all the parts a (1 etc., regardless of the number of these parts.

Claim:

In a demountable piece of furniture, the combination of a plurality of shelves placed one above the other, uprights or columns disposed between the said shelves, screw threaded rods secured at one end of each column, screw threaded sockets inserted in the other end. of each column, each of the said screw threaded rods having the ends thereof formed of different diameters, the small diameter portion being adapted to connect one column to another through the said shelves.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of a subscribing witness.

ERNEST GEORGES LECON TE.

l/Vitness MAURIcE Roux. 

